Back to School Newsletter

August 17, 2009

WELCOME BACK!!!

All of a sudden it is the first day of school; it seems like the summers are getting shorter and shorter.  Even with a short summer off a lot has happened at Gerber School to get ready for your children.  Please welcome our new school psychologist Brian Osak.

We have set student attendance as a priority goal for the District this year.  We need your help to make sure that every student comes to school every day and on time.  At the end of last year I spoke to every student about the direct correlation between attendance and student success.  We will also begin a new attendance awards program this year.  Please pay close attention to this issue.  If we can be of any assistance in this area with you or your children, please let us know.

Also this year we have changed the schedule of our 6th,7th & 8th grades.  Some 6th grade students and all 7th & 8th will start the day at 8:12AM and end the day at 2:25PM Monday through Friday.  The students will be receiving the same instructional minutes and have an opportunity to participate in after school tutoring.  Because of the earlier starting time, our buses may start earlier in the mornings.  If new times are necessary, we will let you know asap.  Please make adjustments to you morning schedules so that your children do not miss the bus.  On October 12th we will begin our after school tutoring program.  Students who enroll in our after school tutoring program will have bus transportation provided.  Tutoring classes will be offered on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Transportation will be provided at 3:10PM on tutoring days.

We have also changed our yearly calendar to include 10 additional minimum school days throughout the school year for staff development and data analysis.  These days will be on Mondays.  Please look carefully to which days are minimum days.

We think this will be an exciting year at Gerber School, and we look forward to working with you to help your children be successful.  The partnership between the school and the family is critical to student success.  When we work together anything is possible.  Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher and ask questions. Communicating with your child’s teacher shows your child that you care about his/her education.  

Our first opportunity for all of us to get together will be our annual fall Back To School Night on Thursday, September 3rd , but do not wait that long if you feel you need to know more about your child's classroom.

Our school motto is “Achieving Excellence”; we are constantly trying to improve what we can do for your children.